Pardon the Turkey, Why.

Some American traditions are admittedly pretty strange. We ask a groundhog for weather forecasts. We chuck pumpkins for fun. But among the most head-scratching of them all has got to be the presidential turkey pardon.

Every year, the U.S. president holds a National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation sparing a turkey from a Thanksgiving table. (Don’t miss these other 9 meaningful Thanksgiving traditions to start this year.) Instead, the birds are sent to a farm to live out their lives in peace. But why does the Commander in Chief spend time pardoning a bird?